The Supreme Court questioned the elite Special Protection Group's (SPG) insistence on 2,000 cc engine capacity diesel-powered vehicles to protect the country's most powerful.
The Supreme Court on December 16, 2015 had banned the registration of diesel SUVs and high-end vehicles over 2000 cc engine capacity till March 31, 2016 in a bid to clean up the Delhi's air. The SPG has sought exemption from the ban.
“Why is it necessary that the SPG should have diesel vehicles... Why can't you use petrol vehicles?” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur asked Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand. Ms. Anand explained that these vehicles were custom-made, armoured and weighed “almost semi-tanks”. They came in diesel and not petrol.
The court then asked how many do the SPG protect. To this, Ms. Anand said that it provided security to former prime ministers, their families, the present prime minister and very few other people. The court remained non-committal on the issue though Ms. Anand pressed urgency. The Bench referred the SPG application to senior advocate and its amicus curiae Harish Salve for his opinion.
